ABBC abolition green light for lawlessness: HIA

The Housing Industry Association says 'lawlessness' is set to return to building sites after the Senate passed a bill to abolish Australia’s peak building industry watchdog last night.

HIA senior executive director David Humphrey said the Australian Building and Construction Commission was a sound and effective regulator, that had helped re-establish rules of law to the construction industry.

“Moreover, economic benefits have flowed to the community at large from its law enforcement work over the last seven years,” Mr Humphrey said.

Mr Humphrey said the legislation that passed last night watered down penalties for illegal conduct.

“Worryingly, the new regime also permits those that engage in unlawful conduct to go unpunished when a so-called settlement has been reached,” he said.

“These new laws, which potentially allow a lawbreaker to escape punishment by intimidating their victim into silence, benefit no one but the unions in the building and construction industry.”